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Artist Interviews
Q&A: Polly And The Billets Doux
By CMU Editorial | Published on Tuesday 31 May 2011
Having played their first gig in a Winchester backroom in 2006, Polly And The Billets Doux made their recording debut with ‘Head Of Steam’, combining a sumptuous musical mix of jazz, blues, folk, country and soul. Lead by vocalist Polly Perry, the genre-defying quartet is completed by Andrew Steen on guitar, Daniel Everett on double bass and Ben Perry on percussion. The band released first album ‘Fiction, Half-Truths And Downright Lies’ via indie label Bleak Mouse Records in 2009, going on to tour extensively throughout the UK with acts including Fun Lovin’ Criminals.
Having kicked off a season of live summer appearances at the just-gone Wood Festival, Polly And The Billet Doux also have upcoming dates booked at Blissfields and Larmer Tree. In the run up to a one-off show at The 100 Club on 5 Jun, we spoke to Polly to get her thoughts and reflections on our now infamous Same Six Questions.
Q1 How did you start out making music?
I have never studied music but grew up listening to my parent’s eclectic vinyl collection and sang along. They listened to a lot of X-Ray Spex, Ian Dury, Led Zeppellin, Boney M, Nina Simone…. all sorts of stuff. I started performing music at the local ‘roots’ open mic night, singing a capella. I guess I have always enjoyed making up melodies while out walking and writing lyrics on the train or in the bath. I really could do with a waterproof 8 track recorder for the shower. When I was younger I was filmed for a documentary series about young people around the world (I was Miss Winchester). The crew came to film me singing at the venue and I had to totally make up the whole song on the spot. Melody, lyrics and everything. It was kind of terrifying but good for me at the same time…do something that scares you every day!
Q2 What inspired your current album?
The album, and indeed the whole band, are inspired by so many different things, it would be impossible to pin point anything in particular to sum up the record. ‘Follow My Feet’ was written in a matter of minutes after Steeny couldn’t sleep, went out for a midnight stroll and had an encounter with a fox. ‘Lead Me On’ was written following a lone night in a dancing hall. Each song has a story behind it, but they don’t all tie in with each other, nor do they need to. You can’t help but be influenced by everything you experience. To only write about the good things that happen, or only the bad things, offers a limited view.
Q3 What process do you go through in creating a track?
There is never one rule. Ideas are brought to practices, often from different angles, and then we squash ourselves into one of our living quarters and drink tea and work on melodies and harmonies. Despite the name of our band implying that I am the leader with a backing band, we very much work together as a whole. In fact, the others are the real talent. I just jumped on the band waggon, hoping to not get caught out!
Q4 Which artists influence your work?
I am particularly influenced by old gospel music such as Mahalia Jackson, The Staple Sisters and The Sensational Nightingales. We are into everything from old-skool R&B to Captain Beefheart to Tinie Tempah. There is a 50 year goldmine of blues and roots-inspired music from which to dig (not to mention millennia of other music before that).
Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
Nothing, cos I wouldn’t want to talk over it while they were listening! I’d probably introduce it with a shaggy dog story about the financial and emotional cost of making it, so they’d feel too awkward to give it a bad rap in front of us! …and perhaps they’d buy another ten copies for all of their friends!
Q6 What are your ambitions for the next album, and for the future?
Completing it – haha! We’d like it to pack a punch…to gain much greater coverage and to reach out to a wider audience…to make Melody Maker’s top ten, centrefold lyrics in Smash Hits and to bring ‘Top Of The Pops’ back to life, so that we can mime a performance of all our own songs! On a serious note, I would like to travel to other lands with our next album just for the fun of it. I would love to tour Germany. Perhaps get ourselves into some dangerous situations (somewhere in the middle of America), meet some interesting people and gather ammo for the next record after that. I’d like to play good venues with honourable promoters, play to excitable audiences, and share a stage with talented musicians. Much of what we are doing already! Just more, more, more, please.
MORE>> www.myspace.com/pollyandthebilletsdoux
